Festivals with Kids
Essential Information and Advice
All the essential info sheets and tips for taking your family to a festival – all handily linked on one page!
If you are new to the world of festivals, or are taking your children for the very first time, it can be a bit daunting but we are here to help. Here at Festival Kidz, we have a wealth of knowledge and advice to share with families who want to experience the wonderful world of family friendly festivals but aren’t sure where to start… Read more…
Surviving the dreaded… festival toilets!
As much as you try not to think about it, your children will need to use the festival toilets.
I sometimes wonder how we coped with three small children. The truth is that I gritted my teeth and thought of all the good times we were having in exchange for a little bit of ‘messy’ work.
Isn’t that what parenting is all about?! We should all be able to cope with this – after all we’ve looked after newborns and nothing will ever be as much work as that! Read more…
Taking Toddlers to Festivals
Can it be done? Should it be done?
If we can enjoy a festival with a five year old and twin toddlers then you can enjoy one with your toddlers too, if you want to!
I read the FestivalKidz website extensively last year to get some tips and it was extremely useful. Now with a few festivals under my belt, I’ve joined the Festival Kidz team myself and I’d like to share some more advice that we have learned ourselves through trial and error. So here are my best tips, starting with…
Read more…
10 Reasons why festivals are best
Despite there now being well over a hundred different family friendly festivals to choose from in the UK, I’m still getting the same common reaction from the majority of people: “Why on earth would you want to take your children there?”
So if you are wondering what is so appealing to parents I’ve compiled this top ten list.
Read more…
Keeping Children Safe at Festivals
Being lost can be absolutely terrifying for young children (and parents) so getting reunited as swiftly as possible is really important. And although you know they will be OK in the end, the experience can still be pretty traumatic even if it’s only a few moments.
Rest assured that at any decent family-friendly festival, staff and stewards should be fully trained to deal with a missing child situation – in fact often it’s all over so quickly the children are unaware they had even been lost. The parent will be a gibbering wreck though!
Please read our fantastic guest blog Diary of a Lost Kids Officer from festival welfare expert and Angel Gardens founder, Angel Sam. With tips, and a full explanation of what goes on behind the scenes when children are separated from their parents at festivals, it’s well worth a read.
First Festival? Emma’s choosing Larmer Tree 2012
Guest Blogger, Emma Parkes-McQueen and her Family do: Larmer Tree 2012
I have to stand up , raise my hand and admit it:
“Hello, my name is Emma and I am a Festival Virgin.”
Well, I went to Reading once when I was 21 but we camped at a site 5 miles away and only went there to pogo at the Chilli Peppers then went home – so that doesn’t count. Read more…
How to choose the right festival for your family
and is a festival the right place for you?
There’s no denying that taking children to a music festival can be very hard work, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but for those uber cool, let’s have it, this is how we roll type of parent (that’s you) you might take the plunge and hopefully find the rewards are well worth the effort. Accept that you won’t see everything you would see if you didn’t have children with you, get in the festival spirit of what will be will be, and let the adventures begin…
Wychwood 2011 Review
What was the weather like?
Mixed rain and sun. Campsite very flat so no problems with flooding!
How old were your children?
4, 5 & 7
Getting to the Wychwood 2011 and setting up camp:
We were there early but friends of ours had to queue for ages to get in – there seemed to be some confusion from the staff as to which route the cars should take – also the family camping wasn’t particularly well sign-posted so people were finding it hard to find the right area to camp in.
Read more…
Festival Dos and Don’ts for Families
Based on an interview we did for Made For Mums:
Taking a baby, toddler or your whole family to a festival? Here’s your vital checklist of equipment to take and pitfalls to avoid from FestivalKidz founder Romany Greatrex
Taking your baby or toddler camping can be fun as well as easy!
FestivalKidz believe that having children shouldn’t put a stop to having fun at festivals and camping out with all the family – however young.
How young a baby can you take to a festival?
No age is too young – as long as you’re prepared. In fact, I’d say younger babies are even easier than toddlers, especially if you’re breastfeeding. It’s much easier at a festival than bottlefeeding. You can carry your baby in a sling to breastfeed and don’t have the worry of sterilising bottles.
Playfest 2011 Review
Playfest 2011 – Jester’s review
Yesterday we attended day 2 of East Anglias newest festival, Playfest
Set in the grounds of New Eccles Hall School, in Quidenham, Norfolk, Playfest is in a beautiful setting, lots of trees and little coves of trees.
Getting there:
We knew where we were going as we live about 20 minutes up the road, and it was well signposted off the A11.
Upon entering the carpark (an empty goose farm field) we were told to park to our right and then the steward muttered something else, as I drove off another steward shouted at me “put your hazards on” in quite an aggressive manner! That must have been what the other steward had said that I didn’t hear. (I noticed the car in front didn’t have hazards on nor did a few other cars that came in, she didn’t shout at them!)
Essential Information and Advice
All the essential info sheets and tips for taking your family to a festival – all handily linked on one page!
If you are new to the world of festivals, or are taking your children for the very first time, it can be a bit daunting but we are here to help. Here at Festival Kidz, we have a wealth of knowledge and advice to share with families who want to experience the wonderful world of family friendly festivals but aren’t sure where to start… Read more…
Taking Toddlers to Festivals
Can it be done? Should it be done?
If we can enjoy a festival with a five year old and twin toddlers then you can enjoy one with your toddlers too, if you want to!
I read the FestivalKidz website extensively last year to get some tips and it was extremely useful. Now with a few festivals under my belt, I’ve joined the Festival Kidz team myself and I’d like to share some more advice that we have learned ourselves through trial and error. So here are my best tips, starting with…
Read more…
Keeping Children Safe at Festivals
Being lost can be absolutely terrifying for young children (and parents) so getting reunited as swiftly as possible is really important. And although you know they will be OK in the end, the experience can still be pretty traumatic even if it’s only a few moments.
Rest assured that at any decent family-friendly festival, staff and stewards should be fully trained to deal with a missing child situation – in fact often it’s all over so quickly the children are unaware they had even been lost. The parent will be a gibbering wreck though!
Please read our fantastic guest blog Diary of a Lost Kids Officer from festival welfare expert and Angel Gardens founder, Angel Sam. With tips, and a full explanation of what goes on behind the scenes when children are separated from their parents at festivals, it’s well worth a read.
How to choose the right festival for your family
and is a festival the right place for you?
There’s no denying that taking children to a music festival can be very hard work, and it’s not everyone’s cup of tea – but for those uber cool, let’s have it, this is how we roll type of parent (that’s you) you might take the plunge and hopefully find the rewards are well worth the effort. Accept that you won’t see everything you would see if you didn’t have children with you, get in the festival spirit of what will be will be, and let the adventures begin…
Festival Dos and Don’ts for Families
Based on an interview we did for Made For Mums:
Taking a baby, toddler or your whole family to a festival? Here’s your vital checklist of equipment to take and pitfalls to avoid from FestivalKidz founder Romany Greatrex
Taking your baby or toddler camping can be fun as well as easy!
FestivalKidz believe that having children shouldn’t put a stop to having fun at festivals and camping out with all the family – however young.
How young a baby can you take to a festival?
No age is too young – as long as you’re prepared. In fact, I’d say younger babies are even easier than toddlers, especially if you’re breastfeeding. It’s much easier at a festival than bottlefeeding. You can carry your baby in a sling to breastfeed and don’t have the worry of sterilising bottles.
Surviving the dreaded… festival toilets!
As much as you try not to think about it, your children will need to use the festival toilets.
I sometimes wonder how we coped with three small children. The truth is that I gritted my teeth and thought of all the good times we were having in exchange for a little bit of ‘messy’ work.
Isn’t that what parenting is all about?! We should all be able to cope with this – after all we’ve looked after newborns and nothing will ever be as much work as that! Read more…
10 Reasons why festivals are best
Despite there now being well over a hundred different family friendly festivals to choose from in the UK, I’m still getting the same common reaction from the majority of people: “Why on earth would you want to take your children there?”
So if you are wondering what is so appealing to parents I’ve compiled this top ten list.
Read more…
First Festival? Emma’s choosing Larmer Tree 2012
Guest Blogger, Emma Parkes-McQueen and her Family do: Larmer Tree 2012
I have to stand up , raise my hand and admit it:
“Hello, my name is Emma and I am a Festival Virgin.”
Well, I went to Reading once when I was 21 but we camped at a site 5 miles away and only went there to pogo at the Chilli Peppers then went home – so that doesn’t count. Read more…
Wychwood 2011 Review
What was the weather like?
Mixed rain and sun. Campsite very flat so no problems with flooding!
How old were your children?
4, 5 & 7
Getting to the Wychwood 2011 and setting up camp:
We were there early but friends of ours had to queue for ages to get in – there seemed to be some confusion from the staff as to which route the cars should take – also the family camping wasn’t particularly well sign-posted so people were finding it hard to find the right area to camp in.
Read more…
Playfest 2011 Review
Playfest 2011 – Jester’s review
Yesterday we attended day 2 of East Anglias newest festival, Playfest
Set in the grounds of New Eccles Hall School, in Quidenham, Norfolk, Playfest is in a beautiful setting, lots of trees and little coves of trees.
Getting there:
We knew where we were going as we live about 20 minutes up the road, and it was well signposted off the A11.
Upon entering the carpark (an empty goose farm field) we were told to park to our right and then the steward muttered something else, as I drove off another steward shouted at me “put your hazards on” in quite an aggressive manner! That must have been what the other steward had said that I didn’t hear. (I noticed the car in front didn’t have hazards on nor did a few other cars that came in, she didn’t shout at them!)